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But now that you need it, the manual is your best friend. IKEA's sometimes hilarious drawings that came with your BLÅVIK bookshelves or BJÖRKUDDEN table? Documentation is the media—text, images, and video—that explain a product or service, the "material that provides official information" according to the Oxford dictionary.You owe your sanity to the writer and designer who made your first time changing a tire seem like a familiar chore. It's the hidden work behind the flashy products, the humble text and graphics that give you knowledge on the fly when you need it most—without requiring someone to personally assist you. Whether it's a leaflet that tells you how to use your public transit pass, a guide to an internal standard operating procedure, or the knowledge base in Microsoft Office's menu, documentation delivers everything from the basic to the advanced. It’s nothing personal – you’re probably pretty awesome.As a consumer, though, I pretty much avoid doing business with companies where I can’t help myself in some form or fashion.

Research firm Gartner has found that most people would rather find help documentation online and fix their own problem than call a support center.

Some representatives will train after hours, while others prefer to train during your workday to observe and coach after customer interactions. They typically include seminars and hands-on learning opportunities regarding new and existing problems and give opportunities to ask questions. Promote product knowledge by providing free samples and reduced prices on the products you sell to your staff. Ask questions ranging from easy to extremely challenging to know.

When your employee uses your product, she develops a more intimate understanding of features and benefits and can offer real-world examples of product use. Asking challenging questions forces the employee to learn where to find information quickly.

Our support has been a key factor in the success of this product, not just because users love responsive support, but because we have used what we have learned from users to improve the product.

Support can be a key selling point, a reason for a person to choose your product over the competition.